I stole his youth

Thought it would be fun to Photoshop an image of my old boat, the Shirley B next to the boat my son Max will be working in this coming season.

In 1989 I ran the Shirley B up to Sitka for the salmon trolling season that started on the first of July.

Max flew up as soon as school let out.  Turned 14 that summer.  Lay in his bunk all day August 7, refusing any form of work in celebration of his birthday.  Perfect age to start learning his way around a little trolling boat.

I thought we had fun together that season.  Relaxed in the hot tub at Goddard on a day when boats, almost within sight on the horizon, pulled a thousand dollars worth of bright coho.  Went up town one evening to see Bat Man in the theater, called Max "my number one guy" the rest of the season.  Came in with a few fish of our own a time or two as well.

He flew back home in September.  Felt disgruntled over spending all summer in the boat away from friends in town. Used to say I stold his youth.*

Time goes on, and here he is working out of Sitka much of the year over the past decade.  Despite the hardships of living in the boats, stuck off in a small Alaskan out-port much of the time, there are positive elements in the fish biz.  Hardly a day passes that I don't regret my decision to scrabble for a living on the beach instead of chasing salmon on the banks off the southeastern Alaska coast.    

*edited from first writing. Max got home two week late for the start of school a couple years later when he and I ran the fish buying scow down at Kelly Cove on Noyes Island.